The scope, design and costing of a new multi-use aquatic centre have been agreed to, in principle, by Red Deer city council.

The decision made on Monday does not mean funding has been approved.

One part of the resolution council unanimously carried is to direct administration to continue exploring ways to get the project back into the 10-year capital plan.

The third part involves a supplemental site evaluation of each potential site (Michener North, Rotary Recreation Park) with a report coming back to council for them to make a decision in the second quarter of 2021.

To get the project into the 10-year capital plan will require something along the lines of a Herculean effort, however.

“Slotting that number into a certain year comes down to a decision of the council of the day,” said City Manager Allan Seabrooke when asked by Councillor Buck Buchanan what the difference would be between throwing the project into the capital plan two years from now as opposed to in 2028.

“The numbers are the numbers. So you either re-prioritize projects already on the books, or you increase the debt limit, and be willing to take on the millions of dollars in operating costs and add that to your budget, which doesn’t fit in well with a zero per cent tax increase.”

The estimated overall cost of a new multi-use aquatic centre is $75 million. Inflation pushes that cost to $91 million by 2028.

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